Hola! Here are Billy and Charlie, sunbathing on our balcony. We've had some dull and even wet days, but now the sun is shining again.

We've visited the Alhambra in Grenada, and the Cuevas de Nerja -- the very impressive caves near here, and for something entirely different, I went with my sister to the local short mat bowling club. It was a lot of fun. I might take it up when we get home, largely because everyone was so laid back and friendly.

How it is said.

For my blog, however, I'm going to do a bit on pronunciation and other complexities of English for Americans, and I'm hoping for some feedback from either side about what puzzles and confuses, and whether it matters. I'm tweeting about these things, and extra examples would be useful.

When reading a book it might not matter if we "hear" a sound wrong, but it bothers me. For years I "heard" chagrin as chargin. When I realized the error, it took a while for the real pronunciation to sound right to me. Has that ever happened to you?

Another example was Lymond, the hero of Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. I, like many readers, heard it as Li-mond. It was only when Dorothy began talking about the books that we learned it was Lymond. I can't explain that one because the Y does suggest the long sound. It didn't take long for that one to feel right for me.

But it is disconcerting to find we've been hearing a word in a wrong way, isn't it.

When is a peer not a tent, but another is a box?

A big confusion in historical romance is Duke. Americans tend to say dook, but in a British context it's djuke, or juke, as in box.

Another tricky one is marquis/marquess. I always use marquess because it avoids the trap of people thinking it's mar-kee, like the tent. Both spellings are pronounced markwess.

Then there's lieutenant. The American pronunciation is logical, I grant you, but if that officer is British he's a leftenant.

The traps of Geography.

Let's add in some of the trickier counties. Derby is, of course, pronounced Darby, and thus Derbyshire is pronounced Darbyshuh. Huh? (Picture to the right is from the Derbyshire Peak District. )

When pronouncing counties, emphasis is nearly always on the first syllable, and the shire at the end is always swallowed into a soft afterthought sort of shur or shuh. Worcestershire is WUSStershuh. Yorkshire is YORKshuh.

I don't claim this is logical. In Devon there's a place called Teignmouth, which is at the mouth of the River Teign. The river is pronounced tayn, but the town is pronounced Tinmouth.

Yes, you now have permission to tear your hair out!

Questions

So, do you care whether you're hearing words "in English" when you read an English-set book?

What are your favourite odd English pronunciations? (We'll leave out the Featherstonehaugh, which might be apocryphal.)

Have you ever gone along for ages with a wrong pronunciation in your head?

What odd pronunciations are there in other countries?

A prize!

I'm going to pick from among the interesting responses to find a winner for a copy of Forbidden Magic, which will be out soon. There's an excerpt here.

I don't think there are any odd pronunciations there, except perhaps a sheelagh-na-gig, but it is pretty well as it looks. That's an ancient female figure exposing her genitals, and the stone carvings were generally in church walls, which raises all sorts of interesting questions!

One last thing -- I have a Georgian e-story out now -- The Demon's Bride. (Not The Demon's Mistress, which is Regency. I didn't set out to confuse. The stories came over 10 years apart, and I'd forgotten the title of he first.)

A Georgian rake, a vicar's daughter, and the rising of the great earth demon Waldborg one dark night in Suffolk, all for $2.99. How can you go wrong? Kindle US has it discounted to $2.39. Enjoy!

Now for the test. You knew there was a test, yes? Say after me, "The Duke of Derbyshire is not the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire."

Once upon a time, in a place not so far away, I used to spend eight hours a day writing, editing, proofing, and researching my books. I may have spent half an hour at most on email, probably because it was long distance on my dial-up. Ancient times, indeed.

This morning, I spent an hour establishing Twitter and Facebook accounts for a pseudonym I’m hoping to develop for a new type of urban fantasy book I’ve written. I commented on a blog I posted last night, and spent another half hour answering e-mail related to an author co-op for e-books I’m publishing. I had time to squeeze in a few hours of editing next January’s Sourcebook release, before researching this blog for the wenches. I’m researching blogs now. Later, I need to spend some time on the Kindle boards to promote my e-books, go to my main Facebook and Twitter pages to see what my readers are doing, scour the internet for images suitable for the next book, and talk to my webperson about a newsletter and an update on the homepage for my Merely Magic reissue. Oh, and I have to create a PDF file for a reviewer copy of an original e-book coming out in April.

I figure by day’s end, I’ll have spent four hours on editing and eight on promotion. Just exactly when can I start writing again?

In the interest of curiosity and frustration, I researched advertising and promotion to see who started this insanity, but let’s face it, even the prostitutes in Ephesus advertised their wares by carving directions into stone. (can't find that photo but I dare say this one is Caesar's proclamation to some great achievement--a political ad!) But I’m blaming Benjamin Franklin for the first American advertising, and Pear Soap for the leap from plain text to the first case of branding. Argh, ptui.

According to Advertising Age , the first newspaper ad was in 1704 selling property on Long Island (I’m suspecting no Indians bought it). In 1729, Benjamin Franklin began publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette and supporting it with the “new advertisements.” For quite some while after that, ads were simple paragraphs along the lines of Dr. Franklin will be at the corner of Sixth and Vine to sell his hair restorative on Tuesday. Or Runaway slave, six feet tall, answers to Lou. Contact Joe Schmoe. Medicine was a popular product and snake-oil salesmen were probably our first ad accounts, but there were no grandiose declarations or attempts to explain product, just the facts, ma’am. (image at http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/past/past.html)

But then Pear’s Soap came along. Andrew Pears was a barber in Soho at the end of the 18th century. He developed a line of cosmetics to help the wealthy disguise dark complexions or conceal skin marred by arsenic cosmetics and harsh soaps. He experimented until he developed a clear soap based on glycerine that became extremely popular because it was original and smelled like flowers. Back in those days, word of mouth sold more soap than he could manufacture. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pears_soap)

But as the business grew and imitations developed, his grandson’s son-in-law, Thomas Barratt, the ultimate snake-oil salesman, took over the company about the mid-19th century. He had French advertising coins manufactured, associated famous people with his “brand,” and used picture advertising of children that equated Pears soap with purity and innocence. His famous bubbles ad made advertising history (http://bubbles.org/html/history/bubhistory.htm). Under his direction, Pears became the first registered brand. (I still shudder when told I need to develop my brand—I’m not soap, thank you!) So maybe I should hate Thomas Barratt instead of Benjamin Franklin.

I understand the need for promotion and branding in this day and age of too much information. I know if I could just write “light, funny, Regency romps” I could develop an association in the reader’s mind. My misfortune is that while I enjoy Regency romps, I also want to write satirical fantasies and alien YAs and a whole host of unrelated material. And because in this economy, publishers rely on sales numbers to buy books, I can sell books a whole lot easier under my name than under any pseudonym—unless I mysteriously brand the pseudonym without having a book out. Jolly fun. So I either choose to write one type of book or find someone willing to take a risk helping me develop a new name. And a second name means twice the promotion. Double argh!

Do you buy by author name? By cover? Or do you just take any book someone hands you and happily enjoy a surprise? How do you learn about the books you read?

Anne here, with an unhappy dog, sitting on my feet as close as she can get. Why? The fireworks have started. She hates fireworks. And why the fireworks? It's 26th January, Australia Day and a national public holiday.

To be honest, I wish it wasn't on 26th January. It's not the timing — it's summer time here, which is a good time for a celebration. But the 26th January 1788 is the date when the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove from Britain, and began the colonization process. It's not a day the indigenous people of this country celebrate; in fact many of them consider it a day of mourning for the inevitable destruction that followed.

So I'd rather celebrate my country on a day where public opinion is not so divided and where all Australians can participate wholeheartedly, perhaps a date like May 9th, which is when the first Australian Parliament met in 1900. Yes, we're a young country. Australia is the oldest continent in geographical terms, but as a nation, we're very young indeed.

Prior to 1900, Australia was not one country, but a collection of separate colonies, each with their own government, though all were under British rule. Federation took place officially on January 1st 1900, and the first parliament met on May 9th, so for me, that's the most appropriate day to celebrate the birth of a nation.

So what do we all do on Australia Day? A lot of people will spend the day at the beach. For many it's the end of the summer holidays, so this is the last family time before we all slip back into the regular routine of work, school, etc. Traditionally it's a day for barbecues or picnics and sport -- home-made or watching it live or on TV. The Australian Open is playing in Melbourne (my home city) for those who love tennis, and for those who don't, there is a one day cricket match (Australia Vs England played I think, in Adelaide) and if those choices don't please you, there's basketball in Sydney.

But this year a lot of people are dealing with the devastation caused by major flooding in Queensland, New South Wales and parts of Victoria. To give you some idea, the flooded area was about the same size as New South Wales, 312, 500 square miles. (As a comparison, Texas is 268, 500 sq. miles.) And in Victoria, my home state, my dad's birthplace is flooded and people in the north-west are still filling sandbags and waiting for the floods to peak.Much of the affected area is agricultural land, so farmers' crops have been wiped out and the small towns dependent on them will be struggling. The city of Brisbane flooded, its centre drowned. Full recovery will take years.What has been heartwarming, though, is the way so many people have been pitching in to help. Complete strangers descending to help with sandbagging and evacuation, and in already devastated areas, arriving to help with the clean-up, supplying people with whatever they need, and taking in people/families who are homeless, raising money to help the flood victims and doing whatever they can. Supermarkets and chain stores all over the country are centers for the collection of donations. Local rescue and reconstruction organizations and government bodies are coordinating the huge number of volunteers. It was the same two years ago when we had terrible bushfires in my state.

This is what I celebrate on Australia Day -- the way so many of my fellow Aussies, of all walks of life and cultural backgrounds and from all corners of this huge country, pitch in to help. And I'd bet my bottom dollar that on this Australia Day holiday, despite the hardship and misery, a lot of the flood victims will have stopped the clean-up to barbecue a sausage or two and have a drink with friends and neighbors, just to prove they might be down, but they're not out. And then they'll go back to work.

What about you? Suffered from severe weather events lately? Ever been to Australia? Did you see Oprah in Australia? What did you think?And if you're an Aussie, how did you spend this Australia Day?

Cara/Andrea here, The new year is barely into its first chapter, but I’m delighted to announce that tomorrow kicks off my first new release of 2011. (I hope you will all polish up your reading spectacles because you’ll be seeing a lot from me in the coming months—including a Big Announcement as we head into April) Yes, I’m popping the bubbly for To Tempt A Rake, but it’s also a tiny bit sad because as I toast the pristine new pages that are hot off the presses, I am also closing the final chapter on my “Circle of Sin” trilogy.

Hail & FarewellIt’s particularly hard to say goodbye to the hero, Marco, He actually came to life in my Andrea Pickens “Spy” trilogy and had a lot of fun raising hell in those books. Indeed, he was such a swashbuckling character that I couldn’t resist introducing him to the circle of my scientific women when I started my current Cara Elliott series. (Some of you may already know that he tuned out to be Alessandra’s cousin . . . something that took me by surprise. ) Well, he finally got tired of playing a secondary role and demanded his own book. So it was a Good Thing that Kate, the hellion of the Circle, was worldly enough and gritty enough match his devil-may-care bravado.

Continental IntrigueGiven that they are adventurous and international (Kate is half American and Marco is all Italian) I decided to set part of their story outside of England. They are caught up in a deadly web of Continental intrigue when a foreign diplomat is murdered at a country house party, and Kate finds herself the prime suspect. Marco suspects she is hiding a dark secret, but has his own clandestine reasons for offering to help prove her innocence. And so their investigation leads them from England to Austria, and the famous Congress of Vienna, which convened in the fall of 1814 in order to reorganize Europe after Napoleon’s exile to Elba . . .

But enough of my fictional story—let’s take a quick look at one of the influential—and fascinating—gatherings of the 19th century.

A Waltz To RememberThe Congress of Vienna was also meant to be a grand ending of sorts—the rulers and diplomats from all over Europe were looking to close the book on the strife and upheavals of the Napoleonic Wars and begin a new chapter of world peace. (In many ways, it was the precursor to the United Nations.) Countless books have been written on the complex negotiations and their ramifications (Henry Kissinger wrote his PhD thesis on the Congress) so I won’t attempt to delve into its nuances. Suffice it to say, it was an extraordinary attempt to consider a vast range of issues, both political and social, and to structure a “balance of power” to ensure that there would not be another world war.

Politics and PartiesSome of the major issues had to do with East Europe—what to do with the various pieces of Poland that had been carved up during the wars; how to deal with Saxony and Prussia; how to keep Russia from becoming too powerful. And then there was the rising nationalism in the Italian peninsula and the Balkans to consider. All these questions of borders and national identity were incredibly important, of course. But what I found fascinating was that the leaders of Europe also understood that issues such as religious freedom, free press and individual rights were very critical in establishing stability and peace throughout the regions. And so there were delegations not just from countries, but from “special interest” groups (much like our modern day lobbyists) ranging from prominent Jewish leaders and anti–slavery organizations to a group of publishers who wanted laws passed to protect intellectual property!

Making Peace . . .and LoveNow, as you might know from my previous posts, I love doing research on little arcane details about an era, as well as the “big” picture. For me, those things—the fashion and furnishings, the people and places or the arts and ideas—are what help make a story come alive.

Well, trust me, there probably wasn’t a more “alive” spot on the planet than Vienna during that time. Yes, the emperors, kings, princes, margraves, powerful government ministers and their entourages had come to the Austrian capital to make peace . . . but they had also come to make love (not necessarily in that order!) In other words, they had come not just to work but to play! And play they did! Glittering balls, sumptuous banquets, fanciful medieval jousts, spectacular fireworks—the daily list of extravagant entertainments for the participants was mind-boggling. (Ah well, what better way to end my trilogy than to go out with a bang. Quite literally!)

Real-Life RakesThe cast of colorful real-life characters at the Congress of Vienna makes fiction appear, well, awfully tame. Prince Metternich, the powerful Austrian Foreign Minister who was a guiding force of the Congress of Vienna, was a savvy negotiator, a polished diplomat—and a rakish lady’s man. He was madly in love with the Duchess of Sagan, who had come to the city in order to court favor with the Tsar of Russia . . . (warning: get out your notebooks, for the tangle of love affairs and dalliances gets quite complicated.) Alas, poor Metternich. He spent much of his time writing passionate love letters to the Duchess when he should have been reading treaties and aligning borders . . . a fact that his canny rivals took advantage of.

Prince Talleyrand, the worldly and sybaritic French Foreign Minister, was perhaps the most brilliant—and cunning—statesman of the era. The consummate survivor, he had served King Louis XVI, the radical Revolutionary government and Napoleon (who called him ‘shit in silk stockings’ after the prince betrayed him in secret negotiations with the Allies in ’08.) Called by some le diable boiteux because of a congenital limp, Talleyrand loved the finer things in life (he always dressed in the elegantly old-fashioned velvet-and-lace style of the previous century) and brought the famous chef Antoine Careme with him to Vienna, not only for his own pleasure but to butter up potential supporters of French interests over the sumptuous dinners and desserts. (At one point he wrote to Paris and wryly said he needed more saucepans, not more secretaries.)

And then there was Tsar Alexander I of Russia. Charismatic, complex and mercurial, Alexander was determined to make Russia a force to be reckoned with on the European stage. It seems he was also determined to seduce every female within arm’s reach. One of my favorite anecdotes involves him seeing the wife of a prominent diplomat at a party. As she was alone, he sidled up and asked if he could occupy her husband’s place for the evening—to which she replied coolly, “Does Your Majesty take me for a province?” In addition to the opposite sex, Alexander also loved the rich food and wines of Vienna—he had to have a whole new wardrobe sent from St. Petersburg because he gained so much weight partying every night!

And the Ladies Who LovedThemThe ladies were equally interesting. A noted beauty, the Duchess of Sagan attracted an impressive array of influential men to her weekly salons. As did her rival, Princess Bagration, a Russian who was known as the Naked Angel of the North because she wore only white muslin, well damped to cling to her shapely curves. The Duchess’s younger sister Dorothee—who was Talleyrand’s niece by marriage—served as the prince’s hostess, stirring rumors as to what else was cooking inside the Kaunitz Palace beside Careme's delicious desserts . . .

And I haven’t even begun to talk about the parties, but I’m running out of space! (My favorite is the Carousel, a recreation of a medieval joust which took place in the indoor arena of the famed Spanish Riding School. However, I promise you will hear about that at a later date!)

So, to end this, let me ask a question that brings us back to books. How do you feel about linked books? Are you sad to see a series end after three books? (trilogies seem to be the favorite number with publishers these days) Or are you just as happy to move on to new things? I confess to being a big fan of some long-running series, like the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters. Have you any favorites? I’ll be giving away a copy of To Tempt A Rake to one lucky person who leaves a comment here between now and Tuesday night. So be sure to chime in!

Susan here, looking out on a snowy, lovely morning, very early. It’s cold and dark yet, with big snowflakes swirling down in the quiet. I’m surrounded by books, some I’m currently reading and some I’ve written. I’ve staring at a stack of books acquired recently as gifts and via gift cards, and I’m wondering if my TBR pile will ever diminish – on the other hand, why let it get smaller?

Take one or two from the top and read them; add three or four more; tug one or two from the bottom, because they look so great and I’d almost forgotten they were there; and so the reading goes.

Do you, too, have a teetering pile of books, new and sorta old? Want to share the current book or two with the rest of us? I'll pick a page from among the books scattered on the table here, and choose a paragraph to share. Today's date can determine the page: Friday, January 21: page 121.

So today I'll choose two books: one that I’ve written, and another that I’m reading.

Page 121, Queen Hereafter: A Novel of Margaret of Scotland – the page opens to a scene in which Eva, a female bard and kinswoman of Lady Macbeth, is introduced in the court of King Malcolm and Queen Margaret:

Distant thunder rolled outside, and the hearth flames flickered in a draft. Eva felt a quick chill, as if she had walked into a moment of great import in her life. She heard a few murmurs and whispers as she crossed the length of the room. Ruari walked beside her, strong and quiet, neither a step ahead nor a step behind, as it should be.

The queen smiled, and King Malcolm sat forward with keen interest. To Margaret’s left, Prince Edgar ceased his conversation with his sister, the princess Cristina, and sat straighter. “Who is this?” he asked, his voice so clear that Eva suddenly realized how very quiet the hall had become. “She is lovely."

"The Moray princess, “ Margaret’s sister said.

Page 121 from Cleopatra: A Life, by Stacy Schiff – this page opens to a presentation of some of Cicero’s observations of Cleopatra:

Cicero had already devoted more time than he would have liked to Egyptian affairs. They had about them always a whiff of dishonor. He had in Cleopatra’s youth hoped to be named envoy to her father’s court but worried about how history, and respectable Rome, might view that posting. Cicero had as well a vexed history with women. He had long complained that he first wife had too much taste for public affairs and too little for domestic ones. Having just rid himself of one strong minded, strong willed woman, he had no taste for another. . .

“The arrogance of the Queen herself when she was living on the estate across the Tiber makes my blood boil to recall,” Cicero fumed in mid-44. On that count he had met his match. He admitted to “a certain foolish vanity to which I am somewhat prone.”

To be honest I haven’t read this far in the book yet. I’m still in the early chapters and I'm absolutely fascinated by the subject, the depth of research and insight, and the quality and ease of the writing.

Now it's your turn – what’s stacked on your desk or nightstand, what’s toppled on the floor beside the sofa? Pick a book you’re currently reading (or one you’ve written!), and share a paragraph or so from page 121, today’s date. If you’re in Australia, like Wench Anne Gracie, and it happens to be the next day -- share something from page 122.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you all choose to share -- it's a great chance for all of us to dip into some books that we may not have read, but may want to after we've read the various paragraphs! Not that I need to add to the TBR pile -- but if we get more snowy days like this, I'll have a better chance of getting through the fall and winter acquisitions. . .

Reader Laura Terhune asked, “How are cover images are selected? Do you choose from existing photos or have a photo session to represent the story? Do you get to select the models? Does your publisher and/or editor have a vote? Who ultimately makes the decision?"

Interesting you should ask this, Laura. There are a number of answers to your question, and I’m currently involved in the variation that gives the author the most control.

Traditionally, covers were designed by publisher art departments and authors had fairly minimal input. Publishers have their own ideas about the kind of look they want for particular authors and types of book. New authors usually have little say, though as a writer becomes more established, she’s more likely to contribute to the process.

Only authors at the very top of the food chain—the Stephen Kings and J. K. Rowlingses of the world—are likely to have “cover approval,” which means they can veto a cover they don’t like. One can get “cover consultation” in a contract, but that means only as much as the publisher wants it to. If you want a horse on your cover and the publisher wants two people exploring each other’s tonsils, the heavy breathing will win.

The cover images are created when the publishing art department arranges a photo shoot with a couple of models and a range of different costumes. Lots and lots of images will be shot, sometimes for multiple covers. An image will be chosen and the illustrator works from that, making changes such as colors, hairstyles, and adding appropriate background.

The author might be asked for suggestions of scenes from the story that might look good on the cover. An author may suggest movie stars who have the look of her characters. She might even suggest a particular cover model she’d like to see. She might supply images to help create the background.

For example, for my book Silk and Secrets, which is a rescue mission to Central Asia, I included a picture of Bactrian camels. (TWO HUMPS, NOT ONE!) I was amused to see later that the step back illustration by the late great Pino used that exact image in the background, with the addition of camel packs and harness.

Well organized as always, Harlequin has authors fill out art facts sheet to describe the appearance, clothing, setting, possible scenes, etc. Each H/S line goes for a particular look, but within that, they’ll try to insure that books coming out the same month don’t look too much alike.

Single title books have a more scattershot approach. Sometimes the art department listens and follows the suggestions. After all, they do a ton of covers every year, and often welcome ideas since they may run dry themselves occasionally.

Other times, sending information to an art department is like calling cats: they ignore you entirely. <g> Sometimes the art folks come up with something you love, sometimes—not so much. Art people tend to have brains that work differently from word people, and communication can sometimes fail. (Word Wenches is unusual in that we have several Wenches, including me, who have strong backgrounds in the visual arts.)

Generally publishers like to keep authors well out of the process because we can really get in the way. Authors tend to have clear ideas of what our characters look like. We’ll look at a cover and think, “Wrong!” And then list all the shortcomings. <g>

There are maybe three times in my career where I’ve looked at a cover and thought, “Wow! That is spot on!” (My YA cover for Dark Mirror, out in March, is an example of a cover image that really hit the mark.)

The longer we write, the more pragmatic we become. As in, “The models bear no resemblance to my characters, the costumes are half a century off, and she’s wearing twenty-first century slut make-up, but the image is beautiful and the colors are terrific and this cover will sell.” <g>

In the golden age of romance, most covers were done using this photograph and illustration process. With the advances in computer graphics programs, now a lot more is being done with computers. This can result in very realistic images of people, usually with some romanticizing added to make the image more appealing.

There is now a seismic shift in cover design as authors start self-publishing their backlists or new books that haven’t sold. This is part of a huge transition in publishing, one that is still very much in process.

Our own Wench Pat has put a number of her backlist books online, with more to come. I’m working on putting up my three contemporary romantic novels, and then will upload my historical Silk Trilogy, along with shorter works that haven’t been widely available.

Self-publishing takes a lot of time. You have to have a clean file, and maybe, if you’re compulsive, as so many of us are, you’ll do some editing on that original manuscript. You have to convert the file into different formats so it can be uploaded to different sites with different requirements.

And you have to come up new covers since the original ones belong to the publisher. This is where an author can really have fun. Some authors have the computer skills to design their own covers. There are numerous stock photo sites like stock photo sites like http://www.dreamstime.com/ and http://www.istockphoto.com/ with zillions of pictures, but searching for the right image can eat up HUGE quantities of time—and you might still not find one you really like.

Not surprising, this need for romantic images is creating new resources. I believe the first stock romance cover image site was by cover model Jimmy Thomas His site site has hundreds, perhaps thousands, of images from photo shoots featuring him with different female models or alone, and also with different heat levels. It still takes a lot of time to find the right image, but at least it’s like fishing in a pond that has been stocked with the right kind of fish. <g> We used him for the covers of both The Burning Point and The Spiral Path as shown above. (The original images are shown as well, and have much less of a related look.)

Despite a degree in design and years of work in the field, I didn’t want to design my own covers because I never learned the ins and outs of computer graphics. I’ve been too busy writing romances. <g>

So I chose to work with author and designer Kimberly Killion . who has fabulous computer design chops and is doing a gangbusters business designing professional quality covers for other authors.

A cover isn’t just a matter of finding a good image. That’s actually the easy part. Typography is enormously important, and weak typography brands a lot of covers as amateurish.

Layout is also very important, too. One of the things I learned in my years as a designer is that good design, like good writing, is often unobtrusive. Done right, both things seem so correct and obvious that one doesn’t even think of how it could be different. Instead, one sees the whole design or the story.

Here is a page from Kim’s site showing how she transforms images into finished covers. It shows the value of cutting off the heads of characters. <G> Using a real person's face will often look wrong. Not showing the face allows the viewer to imagine her own image of the characters.

Kim has actually started her own stock photo site of specifically romantic images to use on covers. Even so, developing a cover requires work. The author has to supply information and help look for images and bounce ideas back and forth.

Working with Kim is like playing tennis with a pro—it raises your game. <G> She’d shoot an image to me, I’d make a suggestion, she’d try something different. This took time, but it was a lot of fun, and I love the results. Since e-book covers are generally used small, I kept the images simple: a man and a woman to show it’s a romance, and some sense of what the story feels like.

Above, I've shown the original bland cover for Twist of Fate, then one of the covers we did while developing a new cover, and the one just above is the final. I liked the girl in the raincoat, but the feeling was wrong. The final has more angst and I loved the colors. Kim dropped in the background and made the heroine's hair red, one of myriad changes.

I’ve scattered some of my cover images through this blog, and I’m starting to work with Kim to develop covers for my Silk Trilogy. We’ll develop a “look” for all three books. We'll probably go through dozens of variations of image, layout, color and typography before we finish with a cover we both think is great.

E-booking is a time consuming process, but done right, it will help our beloved older books sell indefinitely. And sometimes, we get to do covers the way we wanted them in the first place!

Laura, this is probably more than you wanted to know about the origins of cover images. <g> But since I used your topic, you get a free book from me! Happy reading—

Mary Jo. ending with the cover for a novella that spun off from my contemporary novels.

Nicola here, just returned from a lovely trip to the South Coast of England and the New Forest. The New Forest is one of my favourite places in the whole of England. Originally set up as a hunting chase by William the Conqueror after his victory at Hastings in 1066, it gets its name from being a "new" forest as opposed to the old Saxon hunting grounds. It is a hugely atmospheric, mystical and historical place and very inspiring for a writer.

Memories

Until last year I thought that I had never been to the New Forest as a child but then I turned up some black and white photographs from my very first holiday. My mother confirmed that we had stayed in Lyndhurst in the New Forest and also at Mudeford, a seaside town nearby. Here I am on the beach! I don't remember the holiday at all except for one tiny memory of how the sand felt between my toes! But I do wonder whether my love of that part of the coast and of the Forest springs from those very earliest memories and impressions.

We never returned to the New Forest for holidays during my childhood. Instead my love of the place was fostered by the book "Children of the New Forest" by Frederick Marryat. For those who have never come across it, this is a classic children's book set during the period of the English Civil War. It features four children who are orphaned when their father is killed fighting for King Charles I and tells the tales of their adventures in the Forest. I loved it when it I was young and it's still on my bookshelf today.

Sightseeing

On my recent trip I visited lots of places that feature in the book and also places I went to as a child. Calshot Castle was wonderful, a little moated fort built by Henry VIII in 1539 to defend England against the joint threat from France and the Holy Roman Empire. Calshot was closed on the day we visited but another of Henry's forts, Hurst Castle, was open. It is situated at the end of a mile and a half shingle spit. We walked out to it and got a boat back. In storms the shingle can move hundreds of feet but the castle has never been washed away. It was garrisoned in the Napoleonic Wars and extended in the later 19th century and also used during the Second World War. It was quite a thought to stand on the walls and imagine England's defenders occupying this castle for the last 500 years. Here is a photo of Monty and me on the battlements!

A building that was created for fun rather than fortification was Luttrell's Tower, a Georgian folly that was built in the late 18th century for Temple Luttrell a Member of Parliament who was also a gentleman smuggler. A passageway connected the basement of the tower to the beach, making it very easy to bring the contaband directly into the building. Unfortunately the excisemen started to take an interest in Luttrell and he was forced to flee to France to escape prosecution! These days you can actually stay in the Tower as it is a holiday cottage with a fabulous view out across the sea!

Iconic Landmarks in the Forest

Back in the New Forest we visited a couple of iconic landmarks. The Knightwood Oak is six hundred years old and is the oldest remaining tree in the New Forest. It's mind-boggling to imagine that this tree was already over a hundred years old when Henry VIII was hunting here. Another famous spot is the Rufus Stone, which marks the spot where King William Rufus, William II, was supposedly fatally shot when on a hunting expedition in the Forest in 1100. William was named Rufus for his high complexion and his red hair, and he had a reputation for being a very unpleasant character indeed. The story goes that the Frenchman Sir Walter Tyrrell, who was the King's best archer, shot at a stag but the arrow struck an oak tree and ricocheted off it straight into the chest of the king, puncturing his lung and killing him on the spot. The question of whether the king's death was an accident or not has never been resolved and is one of the most enduring of British historical mysteries. One thing is for sure - no one was sorry to see him go and his brother, who succeeded as King Henry I, did not even make an attempt to retrieve the body!

If you would like to read more about the history of the New Forest and the places I visited, I will be blogging about it this week on my personal blog here.

I've thoroughly enjoyed visiting these old haunts and it got me wondering about other places that I haven't visited since I was a child, whether it's good to go back, whether places you love when you are young still measure up later in life or whether's it's better not to try to re-create those memories. What do you think? Is there a place that you used to go for vacations or holidays when you were young and then re-visited many years later? Was it as you remembered or had it changed? Better or worse - or just different? Or is there somewhere you remember from your childhood that you would like to see again? I've unexpectedly received some hardback reprints of my 2008 RITA-nominated book Lord of Scandal so I'm offering a copy to one commenter on this post!

It's time for Ask-A-Wench -- and today the Wenches address Nancy Miller's question:

"Many romances are set in Scotland and England. Why aren't more set in Ireland?"

A fascinating topic -- The beauty and lure of Ireland,the charm and mystery of the Irish culture and the Irish people are without question, and yet there are fewer Irish-set romances than Scottish, and fewer of either than English. Why so? The Wenches contemplate...

Susan Fraser King: As the Wench with 18 Scottish-set historical novels (and one English-set) under her belt so far, it's certainly something I've considered. I've got an Irish book or three in my head, but why haven't I written them? The history of Ireland is complex and interesting, full of heroism and heart ... yet it's tragic and laced with violence, oppression, poverty and sadness. The historical challenges and the run of bad luck from one century to the next has shaped the Irish poetic nature, but is part of its melancholic and poignant character too.

There are many stunning historical novels set in Ireland, and heartfelt and wonderful romances set there too -- yet the constant challenge for the romance writer is the difficulty of staging a satisfying romance when a happy ending for hero and heroine is not always guaranteed. The hero and heroine of Irish-set romance are potentially surrounded by great sadness and despair. The reader may be very aware of that, and it's certainly not easy for the writer (or the reader) to ignore the history and circumstances. Other readers may be unfamiliar with Irish history. Yet there are romance authors who rise to and above the challenges, and kudos to them!

Though I think, uniquely in Ireland's case, contemporary romance can work better than historical in Irish-set fiction, conveying the charm and heart of Ireland along with more certain happy endings!

Patricia Rice: To be perfectly blunt, because editors won't buy them. The "Irish troubles" are so dreadfully depressing, they detract from the romance. At the same time, they kind of blunt the fantasy of the perfect English Regency, or all the other fantasies we have of an aristocratic English society. Politics and fantasy just don't mix!

But I enjoyed the opportunity to delve into Irish fantasy with the Mammoth Book of Irish Romance. I could delve deeper into Irish history than the "troubles" and write a fun sidhe story, although like most Irish reality, it includes blood and death. <G>

Jo Beverley: I've thought about this. I think it's mainly because Ireland's history is so painful. In addition, however, it lacks elements for the romantic fantasy that are the foundation of a good romantic novel.

For example, a wealthy and elegant 18th and 19th century English aristocracy peoples the most popular historical romance today. Ireland had a similar aristocracy, as did Scotland, but they rarely provide heroes and heroines for historical romance because they're oppressors of the romantically tragic Irish and the romantically noble Highlanders.

All of the above is myth, but as readers we choose which myths we like to play with and which we don't. Or perhaps it's just that Americans have seen too many St. Paddy's Day celebrations with green bowler hats and beer. It's hard to be romantic after that!

Mary Jo Putney: I've always thought that Irish settings are less popular because so often they are rooted in "the English are evil and we're suffering victims and we hate them!" Not that there isn't historical evidence to support that belief, but it makes for rather gloomy. not to mention repetitive, stories.

The Scots are equally Celtic and certainly have plenty of reason to dislike the Sassenach, but instead of sitting around complaining, they spread through the world as soldiers and explorers and and inventors and all kinds of very cool things. More fun to read about!

Cara Elliott/Andrea Pickens: A good question! This is something that has always perplexed me. I've heard many people explain by saying that Ireland's history is a bit sad and grim, so that it doesn't make a great backdrop for a romance novel. But Scotland's history is not exactly all sweetness and light, so I'm not sure that the answer.

For me, there is so much that is wonderful about Ireland-the incredible natural beauty, the myths and legends, the traditions of poetry and music, the warm and generosity of the people, the wit and humor. So it seems a rich canvas on which to paint a story. And from a purely business/marketing perspective, it would seem that there is a great “target” audience here in the U.S. Irish-Americans are very proud of their heritage (just look at the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City) I'd think Irish-set romance would have a great appeal. I know I'd love to read more. So--if anyone has an answer, I'd love to hear it!

And BTW, if you are looking for some wonderful Irish reads, our honorary Wench laurel McKee/Amanda McCabe has a great trilogy called The Daughters of Erin. The second book, The Duchess of Sin, just came out last month and is fabulous.

Anne Gracie:Irish settings are beautifully romantic in contemporaries — Nora Roberts has certainly shown that. But with historical novels, it's not so easy, because so much of Irish history is about hardship and poverty. Certainly it would sour a happy ending if we knew that in a few years the couple in the book would be facing the potato famine, or caught up in "the troubles."

But it's more than that. Scottish history is also full of hardship and grim times, but we think of it as wildly romantic. (And Welsh settings hardly ever get a look in at all, and Wales is stunningly beautiful.)

I think the reason why Scottish settings seem more romantic to us is partly to do with the Scottish social structures that survived longer than those of Ireland and Wales — the clan, the chieftain or the laird, the tribal aspect that was more thoroughly eradicated in Ireland or Wales. Add to that the slightly barbaric element -- the bright tartans, the kilt, sword dancing, bagpipes and whisky, and it's the stuff of fantasy.

Thanks go to Nancy Miller for a great question! She wins a signed copy of one of my books (Nancy, please contact me through my website). What do you all think -- do you love Irish set romance, do you wish there was more, or do you avoid it and look for more familiar territory in your romance reading? Are there some Irish-set novels, romance or otherwise, you would recommend?

Sorry I can't do the squiggly, but manana, manana, manana is the theme for today, especially as I'm in Spain! Yes, even Devon gets grey in January so we've escaped to Nerja on the southern coast of Spain.

So here I am, typing on the laptop near patio doors open to the sunny balcony (no, not the one pictured below), already beginning to worry that it'll be a bit too hot this afternoon. After all, I did get a touch of sunburn yesterday.

Not that I'm complaining. Not at all!

The pic on the left is from the Balcon de Europa, the sea front that is the heart of Nerja, a mere 10 minutes stroll from our apartment.

Perhaps it was the sun, or I just needed a good rest, but I zonked out last night. No problem. I often write my blog in the morning, as I'm 5, now 6, hours ahead of most of the Wench readers. Manana, you see? But then I slept in. I rarely sleep in. I'm a dawn chorus sort of person.

When I crawled out of bed this morning, it was 11 am! Manana's half over!

(I'm reminded of when we visited England a few years ago, exploring for our return, and rented a place. I switched on the TV, trying to figure out the Freebox stations, which wasn't easy as it wasn't working very well. Then I hit a screen that said, "Yesterday will return tomorrow at 8am."

I sat contemplating that with delight. It was like something out of Doctor Who. The Daleks have taken over and condemned the British people into a kind of Groundhog Day. But one in which today is strangely missing....)

I digress, as I love to do.

Random thoughts on Spain and history.

Spain doesn't often feature in historical romance, but then, nor do other continental countries.

If I remember correctly, Spain was the setting for many Mills & Boon romances of my youth, along with Italy and especially Greece. Is Spain still a favoured setting in M&B or Harlequin Presents?

Medieval Spain is notable -- El Cid (I must have seen the Charlton Heston film a dozen times -- anyone else), Ferdinand and Isabella and such -- but then not so. Perhaps it's the ascent of those gloomy Hapsburgs. Or am I wrong on that?

Spain and Italy are similar in some ways but very different in others. Off the top of my head, the fact that italy is known for Dante's inferno, and Spain for Cervantes' Don Quixote has to mean something. Any idea what?

My butterfly mind is led to empires.

Italy was the base for the Roman Empire, a mostly land-based domination bulwarked with strong roads and efficient administration, which brought in taxes from distant points. The cause of its fall is heavily debated, but probably it simply over-extended, as all empires seem doomed to do. Interestingly, though Latin was once widespread, not much of the world now speaks Italian as the native language.

Spain had an empire, too, though not as formidable. It was based on ships and the sea, and on the gold brought back from the "new world." The empire involved land, from California and Florida down through South America. Spain controls none of that now, but Spanish is the language of many cultures.

Can you find anything to comment on in the above chatter? Please try, because I'll award a copy of the new edition of Forbidden Magic to my random pick of the best.

Jo

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I’ve been thinking a lot about “change” lately. Obviously, Obama’s campaign touted change as a good thing, and on the whole, I enjoy doing and seeing different things and believe change is required for progress. But sometimes, change comes so fast and furious that resistance sets in. I found this great website that covers predictable human behavior when faced with change: http://tinyurl.com/26786jv . The writer doesn’t solve anything, but he does a good job of explaining how and why various people react as they do when faced with any kind of shift in their circumstances.

One of the reasons I’m starting to drag my feet on the enormous changes the publishing industry is facing is explained quite succinctly on the website: “my needs are met, I’m heavily invested” in print publishing, and I really don’t want to change totally to this brave new world because “the journey there looks painful.”

I’m probably a bit ahead of the curve on my resistance because I’ve already experienced the rosy optimism part of the change, and now I’m heading to the downside as I see what we’re facing. I am dabbling with two books I want to sell electronically, and the heavy issues of editing, cover selection, and promotion are giving me headaches before I even get started. I really need a publisher to handle all of this for me. I just want to write the blamed books. But that’s not necessarily how the next chapter of publishing will work.

I, at least, have the advantage of being able to make choices based on the huge amount of information at my fingertips. But can you imagine how our historical characters felt as the enormous changes between the Georgian era and the industrial revolution took place? If you’re afraid to try an e-reader, just imagine how Our Heroine felt when faced with her first steamboat or train ride. We all know how the Luddites reacted to machine manufacturing, and I can certainly relate to wanting to smash machines to bits—if only because I don’t grasp the technology and I’m convinced computers hate me. (photo credit: http://tinyurl.com/2dmzaff)

Men who were interested in the changes happening around them probably belonged to the various scientific, philosophical, and technical societies that formed, but on the whole, women had only each other to rely on for information. How did they feel when their wool was no longer spun by the local weaver but mass-produced by some smelly plant miles from home? And the new chemicals used for dyeing fabric (see Kill Your Hero with Wallpaper) created fabulous wallpapers and gowns, but would Our Heroine be leery of fabrics shipped all the way from exotic places like India? Obviously, the Kasmir shawl became popular at some point. Did mothers agree to the expensive purchase simply because Lady Neighbor had one? Or did some resist such wasteful extravagance when a good English wool would suffice? (photo credit: http://tinyurl.com/2bbn358)

But shawls and gowns were just material evidence of change. The underlying, volatile change was the raising of the lower and middle classes to wealth as merchants turned industrial technologies to new uses. Child and slave labor became social issues that divided a complacent society in two. New science raised awareness of the dangers of inadequate housing, poor diet, and disease, and suddenly, people had to think of others besides themselves and their tenants. Their worlds grew larger rapidly—and it would be simpler if they could just turn a blind to eye to those changes. I’m sure many did. (photo credit: http://tinyurl.com/24j2xdn)

I’m thinking the modern world is also undergoing such a sea change, where underdeveloped countries are suddenly growing fast—at the expense of the wealthiest countries, and technology is speeding ahead so rapidly that many of us would rather bury our heads in the sand than face another new iPhone.

At what point do you draw your figurative line in the sand and say “heck, no” to change? And do you understand why you’re suffering from resistance and denial of the changes ahead?

It’s human nature to want to better ourselves. This may be particularly true of Americans since it’s inherent in our culture to believe that hard work will enable us to create better lives in all sorts of ways: we can be thinner, kinder, richer, more successful, more fit—you name it. The self-help bestseller lists confirm this belief. <g>

This desire to improve is one reason there are New Year’s resolutions. I’ve never made them—if I want to make a change, I’ll do it now! (Patience is not my strong suit.) Among people who do make formal resolutions, there seems to be a high degree of frustration. New Year’s resolutions seem designed to make us feel like failures, and darned quickly, too!

Which is why I was delighted when my fantasy writer friend Sharon Shinn mentioned a practice she and some friends do. Instead of resolutions, they choose a word for the year ahead—something to guide or inspire or help them make choices for the next twelve months. For example, one could choose:

~~~Patience~~~

Sharon says they got the idea from somewhere else, so she doesn’t know the origin, but I LOVE the concept! It’s a theme, a mantra, a gentle suggestion rather than a list of goals that may prove impractical.

So I considered some possible words for the year:

~~~Treasure~~~

This can be either a verb or a noun. One can make a point of cherishing friends and family that we may take for granted, or one can use “treasure” as a noun, symbolizing the steps that might improve one’s financial situation.

~~~ Fearless: ~~~

This might be a good choice for someone who feels she needs to speak up for herself more. It’s a sobering example, but a friend of mine who once was kidnapped off the street by three guys and beaten and raped for a couple of days before being released said that after that, things like bullying professors and bosses simply didn’t frighten her any more. This could be a good theme for a year of evaluating what we fear and why. And what we can do about it!

~~~Mindfulness:~~~

This is another really good one. We get so busy, so tied up in the small stuff, that we don’t always remember to “be here now” and cherish the immediate moment and our surroundings.

~~~Finish!: ~~~

I figure the word can have a punctuation mark without violating the principle. <g> For someone who is always going in too many directionsscattered, starting lots of things but never getting them done, this could be a good keyword.

~~~Awake:~~~

This is rather like mindfulness. Be alert! Pay attention! Notice what’s going on! (A good one for writers who wander around in a creative haze way too often. <G>)

~~~Experiment:~~~

Be open to new possibilities. Try new things. I’ve never liked olives, but every now and then, I’ll have another one just to see if I like them better. The answer is mostly no, but I have learned that I dislike some types less than others. <G>

~~~ Reframe: ~~~

This is another concept I really like. How we see our past can really influence how we see ourselves in the present, and how we interact with the world. Think of how very different it is to say, “I was abused as a child and permanent scarred by it,” versus, “I had a very difficult childhood, but it made me incredibly strong and adaptable and compassionate.” Or something simpler, like “I can never understand computers” reframed as, “I haven’t done well with computers in the past because I was insufficiently motivated, but now that I find I can do genealogy/needlework/see pictures of my grandkids online, I’ll figure it out in no time!”

By the way, the picture was taken in a park above Auckland, New Zealand. We had an 8 hour layover on our way to Australia, so we hired a car with a nice driver to take us around.)

~~~Move:~~~

This could be a good one for physical improvement. Many of us lead sedentary lives, so moving more can improve one’s health, vitality, and mood, not to mention one’s figure. Park at the far end of the lot, take the stairs instead of the elevator (not if it’s the 88th floor, of course!), find some kind of physical outlet that will make you feel better and happier.

Sharon did something else really fun with this concept: “Last year I got magnets for the five of us who chose words. I went to Zazzle.com and picked my typefaces and color backgrounds and made a set for each of us. They're all hanging on my stove.” You can see the possibilities of this! Do you like this idea? Have you tried it? Is there a word you’d like to be your theme for the year?

Happy January 6th -- the Twelfth Day (okay, some say the thirteenth!) after Christmas, which brings our Wenches Christmastide to an end for another year. Since we Wenches love history, I bring you Fun Facts about January 6th:

The Feast of the Epiphany, or epiphaneia in Greek, was originally regarded as the birthday of Christ (epiphaneia can mean appearance, incarnation or manifestation), and therefore was celebrated, long ago, as the original feast day of Christmas. It's still celebrated in some churches as their Christmas (the Armenian church, for example, and some Greek churches). When the Western and Eastern Churches started argued about theology and rites and dates and other issues, finally splitting apart, the Western Church came to celebrate Christmas on December 25, regarding January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, as the day the three Magi came to visit Jesus and his family in the stable.

An alternative term for Epiphany in the Eastern Church is theophania – from which derives the female name Tiffany. Children in medieval centuries, particularly, were sometimes named for holidays (and we still do that now). Names like Christmas, Noel, Michaelmas, Septuagesima (yep), Easter, Whitsun, Pascal, Ephiphany and Theophania pop up in the old registers and were not uncommon.

So it might be historically accurate for a medieval heroine, for example, to be called Tiffany. Not advisable, perhaps, because the modern connotation has changed the cultural meaning of the name, but plausible historically. (I once named a medieval heroine Michaelmas [in Lady Miracle] because that was her birthday and part of the plot. Yet she began as a secondary character in another book, where the name was not a problem. Once she made it to book-carrying heroine status, it was a little trickier to pull off the name, but I loved it, and its “Micklemis” pronunciation.) (Tiffany glass angel, 1890)

January 6th was a busy day in history, too. Among many things, it’s said to be the birthday of Richard II in 1367, a Capricornian king in his pride and persistence; in 1412, Jeanne d’Arc was a January 6th Epiphany baby, too, and she put that birthday to good use with not only symbolism and significance, but in her stubborn, get-the-job-done Capricorn nature.

Most of all, January 6th is regarded as the end of the Christmas season, the Twelfth Day that follows the Twelfth Night of January 5th. To some of us, particularly in the States, Twelfth Night isn’t a holiday, just something celebrated in other countries and other cultures. In our house, Twelfth Day is simply known as the day to take down the Christmas tree. I grew up Catholic, with an Irish/Scots mom who insisted that it was bad luck to take down the tree earlier or later than January 6th. A narrow time window, and we all got to work that day dismantling and packing up the Christmas sparkly stuff.

In Britain, traditionally the great Yule log that was added to the household hearth to burn throughout Yuletide was finally extinguished on January 6, with a bit saved to light a new fire; and Twelfth Night was a time for celebrations, revelry, some foolery and wassailing and pranks. In some places, a Twelfth Night cake was prepared and shared and, if a bean or other prize was found, a king and queen of the evening were chosen. That was traditional in the Low Countries with the Bean Cake, and in France as well, with the gateau des rois, or cake of kings. (Bean Feast, Jan Steen, Dutch)

And the King Cake survives traditionally in the United States as the cake eaten during the Mardi Gras season. Each wildly decorated cake (purple and green icing on a ring brioche, sprinkled with colored sugars, the messier and ookier the better!) contains a tiny king or Baby Jesus, and whoever gets that piece is chosen king, more or less, and must at least buy the next round of cake (and one must be careful not to bite down on the teeny plastic baby figure hidden inside). Mardi Gras, and the eating of lots of King Cake, begins on January 6th and goes through to Shrove Tuesday (or Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday), the day before Ash Wednesday, when the eatin’ is good and fat before the Lenten fast begins.

And that brings us from the Christmas season right round to spring ... though before we look too far ahead, some of us have some winter weather to get through (and, our Aussie authors and readers not to be forgotten, some of us have some hot summer days ahead).

Not being English (alas, as the research for the books would be a little easier), I’ll leave it to our English Wenches and readers to tell us more about Twelfth Night and Twelfth Day in England – and we would love to hear from any of you with Twelfth Day, Epiphany, end-of-the-holiday traditions to share!

A merry season to all, and a very happy 2011 to each and every one of you! As Cara/Andrea expressed yesterday, I too am very grateful to be with the Word Wenches, grateful for their friendship, their talents, and for the camaraderie of this blog, and I’m very thankful to all of our wonderful readers.

In the words of Shakespeare, from Twelfth Night, here's a toast to all the Word Wenches: “Excellent wench, say I!”

Well, we’re almost at the end of the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas. Tomorrow is celebrated by many Christians as the day that the Three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. So, it marks an end to the holiday merrymaking—a time to take a last slurp of champagne, a last bite of fruitcake and refocus on the year ahead, which lays before us like a brand-new notebook, the pages still pristine white and waiting to be filled with our daily scribbles.

I’ve done the usual reflection on resolutions. My list has a lot of little—and not so little—things I want to accomplish in the coming months. Some are wishful thinking (Oh, if only I could lean to write faster!) Some are tedious chores (organize household bills, clean up files—I’m executrix of my mother’s estate so have extra paperwork to deal with) And some are more fun endeavors. Like going over the hefty pile of books that has accumulated in my writing room, and sorting the just-finished ones go to the storage bookshelves in the attic and the TBR to keep close.

So I thought I’d share a few random thoughts on book I loved in 2010 and books I’m looking forward to reading in the first months of 2011.

It goes without saying that the books of my fellow Wenches were all a source of much pleasure—and much inspiration—in 2010. The incredible talents of my wonderful friends make me sigh, and keeps me striving to get better with my own writing. So a heartfelt huzzah to Jo, Joanna, Nicola, Anne, Susan, Mary Jo and Pat. Being part of this amazing group (including our multi-talented webmistress Sherrie!) is a source of great joy throughout the year.

Now, on to the rest of the pile. In looking at the stack waiting to be carried up to the attic, I see a few things that deserve special mention. I was late coming to Steig Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I’m not a huge Noir fan but I really loved the trilogy. And for some reason, I had never gotten around to reading Bernard Cornwall’s Sharpe novels. Ha—it took me a couple of months, but I went through every single book. Pure bliss, combining swashbuckling adventure with wonderful period detail. I’m also a huge historical mystery fan and Ireally enjoyed the latest books by Tasha Alexander, Lauren Willig and Deanna Raybourn. As for nonfiction, I adored Richard Holmes’s The Age of Wonder! And David King's 1814, which recounts the Congress of Vienna (more on that later this month) is already dog-earred from all my constant rereadings. It served as a fabulous research resource for two books I wrote in the past year.

Turning to the TBR, I have both fiction and nonfiction awaiting. I recently picked up several titles that look really interesting. The Vertigo Years is all about Europe 1900-1914, and looks fascinating. I’m toying with some Edwardian-era ideas so think it will be great background.) Sailing back a few centuries, I am also intrigued to start Pirates of the Barbary, which focuses on the tumultuous Mediterranean during the 1600s. Other interesting research books include a history of opium and a history of cotton. Oh, and Peter Ackroyd's Thames, The Biography just arrived from the Edward Hamilton catalogue.

I’ve also got Wolf Hall waiting. I’ve peeked at the first chapter, and find the writing style a little daunting. But will give it a try. On New Year's day, I kicked off 2011 by delving a new genre—steampunk! I had been hearing great things about The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook and am finding it very cool. (I would love to write a steampunk story someday, but I'm not sure I'm smart enough to create all the tech stuff!) I’m also looking forward to delving into more of my favorite historical mystery writers. Charles Finch, who writes a very charming low-key Victorian series, has a new one called A Stranger in Mayfair, and C.S. Harris has a new Sebastian St. Cyr book coming out in March.

Those are just a few of the books that have caught my fancy lately. How about you? Any real favorites from last year? And what’s on the top of your TBR read for the start of 2011?

Anne here, wishing you all the best for 2011. Every New Year, when I hear Auld Lang Syne, my Scots blood stirs. I've had a love affair with Scotland all my life, even though my original Scottish ancestor arrived here in the 1880's. That side of the family is prone to poetry and, courtesy of Great Grandpa Dunn's influence, we grew up with Rabbie Burns quotations and recited the Selkirk Grace before dinner:

Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat, and we can eat, And so the Lord be thankit.

So when my Dad got the chance to live and work in Scotland for a year -- and take us with him -- he seized it. I was eight, and I attended the local primary school. Here I am with my Scottish classmates, in the middle of the second front row.There was a resurgence of Scottish nationalism at the time and it fed my fascination with all things Scottish. I devoured everything I could on Scottish history and Scottish stories and legends and Scottish music.

Every second weekend we'd hitch up the caravan and head off to explore Scotland. We travelled its length and breadth, visiting great castles, crumbling ruins, austere little kirks, misty glens, and windswept islands. I scoured the grey surface of Loch Ness, looking for Nessie, cautiously offered handfuls of grass to horned highland cattle peering out from behind long russet fringes, and wanted desperately to adopt a wee black-faced lamb that had been orphaned and which the farmer let me feed from a bottle. It was a magic time. My siblings and I also acquired excellently broad Perthshire accents fairly quickly -- I wanted rid of the label, the wee Australian lass. (My brother and I maintained our accents in private long after we'd returned to Australia. It was a great way to have conversations that were unintelligible to others.)

Yet I've never written a Scottish-set story. I did have plans for one once, but my editor at the time was English and could see nothing at all romantic about Scotland or Scotsmen and firmly squashed the idea. Scotsmen were unromantic and Scotland had bad weather and midges. Regency England, she said, would suit me much better. And I have to say, Regency England has suited me very well.

I love highland sheep, with their long swishing skirts of wool and their dear little black-faced lambs.

And slowly, a story coalesced...

It's a classic premise: my hero, Cameron, is laird in name only — his inheritance is in the hands of his uncle until Cameron turns thirty, or marries. His uncle is spending money like water and nothing Cameron says will stop him. Cameron storms out, swearing to marry the first eligible woman he meets...

So Cameron sets off, followed by his two cousins, who've bet on the outcome of the vow — and taken a wee dram or three of The Good Stuff along the way...

Of course, the first woman Cameron meets is entirely unsuitable.... on the surface. Not that he can see much of her surface -- he's run her and her sheep into a bog (which is where that gorgeous picture came in) and she's covered in mud. But a vow is a vow, and Cameron's never broken his word in his life.

However there's more to Jeannie Macleay than meets the eye... And she's no pushover.Here's an excerpt:

The girl scrutinised his face, then turned to look at each of his cousins. "Marriage?" she said eventually. "You're proposing marriage to me? To me?"

Cameron nodded. "Aye."

In her dirty, mud-streaked face, her blue eyes gleamed bright with suspicion. "Why?"

Cameron shrugged. "I must marry someone. Why not you?" It was ridiculous when said aloud, but with the eyes of his cousins on him, he wasn't going to back down. He'd never broken his word yet.

But he might not have to. The girl could still refuse. He waited. Down the road the girl's sheepdog barked. A sheep baaed in response.

"You're tetched in the head," she told him. "You canna mean such a thing. Why, you never set eyes on me before today."

Stunned, Jeannie Macleay chewed on her lip and stared at the solemn young man in front of her. He was asking her to marry him? It couldn't possibly be true. He probably wouldn't even recognize her if he met her again—she was all over mud, anyway. He was drunk, or tetched in the head, but... Marriage? The thought gave her pause.

She would have married almost anyone to get away from Uncle Ewen and the sheep. And suddenly, like something out of a dream, here was this tall, beautiful young man, asking her.

He'd wiped his face clean of mud. His cheekbones and jaw might have been cut with a blade, they were so perfect and sharp. His nose was bold and straight as a sword and his mouth firm and unsmiling. And his chin ... her mother always used to say a man with a firm chin could be relied on.

Warrior stock, no doubt, like many folk in the highlands, of Viking descent. His hair was brown and sun-streaked yet his eyes weren't Viking blue, but hazel. They watched her steadily, but she sensed an intensity beneath the calm manner. He was well off, too, going by the quality of his clothes and his horse.

God knew why he'd even looked twice at her, with her in her uncle's old coat and boots and covered in mud, but he had. And try as she might, she could not dismiss it. She pinched herself, hard, to be sure it wasn't a dream.

"I don't know you from Adam," Jeannie said to silence the clamor in her head.

"My name is Cameron Fraser." Fraser. It was a common enough name around here. Oh Lord. She ought not to even consider his proposal. The poor lad was no doubt a wee bit soft in the head, and his friends were too drunk to realize what he was doing.

But she was only human.

The choices loomed large in her head; life with Uncle Ewen, the stingiest, gloomiest, dourest man in all of Scotland— or life with this tall, solemn young man. The rest of her life spent on the moors, half the time cold, wet and hungry, looking after Uncle Ewen's sheep — or marriage to this beautiful young man who was probably tetched in the head to be offering marriage to her on so little acquaintance.

No choice at all. People said better the devil you knew. Not Jeannie.

"Do ye have a house?" she asked. "I do." "Would I be its mistress?" It was the summit of her dreams — to have a home of her own, to be beholden to no-one. To belong.

He nodded. "My mother died when I was a bairn. You'd be the woman of the house."

The woman of the house. There it was, her dream laid out for her. All she had to do was to say yes. She swallowed.

* * * * *

Mine is just one of twenty-one stories in the collection. It's a fabulous read. The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance - edited by Trisha TelepReleased TODAY in the USA, Jan. 27th in the UK

So what about you -- do you like Scottish romances? Long to visit Scotland? Fancy a man in a kilt? Or do you agree with my former editor, that Scotland and Scottish men are not at all romantic.

A fanfare, please! Break out the trumpets! Thank you, everyone, who left comments to our posts during the month of December. You left 425 comments, and each commenter was eligible to receive a Wench Library of 8 books--one from each Wench. We used the Random.org site to choose a number at random for us. We plugged in 425 and it spit out number 155 as the winner. Number 155 was "JJ."

Congratulations, JJ! Please get in touch with me so that we can get your mailing address and send a big package of books to you!

Happy New Year to each and every visitor to our blog. Many of you have been with us since the beginning in 2006, and your patronage has helped make us one of the oldest writers blog on the Internet. Thank you for your support. Here's to a magnificent 2011 for us all!

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to see the New Year in at a small cottage in the Scottish Highlands. This photo was taken on a walk we did on a beautiful if cold winter's day, halfway up the mountain Beinn Eighe. You can just see me and Monty on the promontory. I'm brewing a cup of tea!

New Year's Eve can be a very special time and never more so than in Scotland where Hogmanay in Edinburgh involves torchlit processions, street parties, concerts, fireworks above the castle and many more exciting events. Our own celebration was a little bit more low key, involving a glass of malt whisky and the "first footing." To ensure good luck in the year ahead, the first foot in the house after midnight should be male and dark-haired (handsome is a bonus!) This tradition is believed to be a throwback to when fair-haired Viking warriors might come knocking at your door bringing trouble rather than good cheer. The First Footer also has to bring with him coal, shortbread, salt, a black bun and whisky. We managed to rustle up all of these except for the black bun, for which we substituted an oat cake!

Here's Jo, dashing in just a bit late! But the advantage of living in England is that the American readers are just getting up. Whew!

It's the new calendar thing that's got me. We have one, but it's a lovely one we got at the Canaletto Exhibition at the National Gallery and Ken wants to scan the pictures before grubby fingers, post it notes etc get at it.

Do you have a calendar to keep track of life? Do you choose them with care, or just take anything that comes by?

BTW, it's still Christmastide, so you should still have all your decorations up. I hope you're observing tradition!

And have you done anything to mark the beginning of a new year? I cleaned my desk, mentally preparing to get back to work after my December break. Though I have been spending time there on my Malloren World wiki.

I'm tossing in peripheral research and perhaps it'll become a resource for other writers. I'm beginning to put in daily life stuff such as costs (under Daily Life) and I'm beginning something I've been meaning to do for years -- tracking the Great North Road. I've only put in the north Yorkshire bit as I had that to hand from my research for An Unlikely Countess.

Read an excerpt and/or sign up for an on-sale reminder by clicking the link.

Off we go into another decade. Mayit be wonderful for all.

For your amusement, I offer this old ad. Believe it or not, it's not for weaponry, but tomatoes. Perhaps it inspired the film Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes!